WORLD> Photo
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WORLD> Photo
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In Iran, poll campaign is excuse for one big party
(China Daily/Agencies)
Updated: 2009-06-11 10:09 TEHERAN: As night falls, rival supporters of Iran's presidential candidates take over the streets of Teheran in boisterous scenes, which at times resemble more a giant party than an election campaign in a conservative Islamic state.
In the run-up to tomorrow's hotly contested vote, mainly young people descend on the capital's most famous boulevard in the evenings and bring traffic to a standstill in a cacophony of chanting slogans, honking car horns and loud music.
"For 80 percent ... they only come out to have fun," said Ashkan, a teenager trying to make himself heard in the noise. He gave only his first name. "It is an excuse for boys and girls to talk to each other without trouble," he said, referring to the Islamic Republic's ban on unrelated men and woman socializing.
A group of teenaged boys jumped out of their cars and started dancing to thumping Iranian pop music. Another group of young men and women shouted and waved pictures of their favored candidate as they walked in the middle of the dense traffic. Such a public outpouring of emotion and jubilation has not been seen since Iran's soccer team defeated the United States in 1998 or when reformist Mohammad Khatami swept to power by winning the previous year's presidential election. With more than 60 percent of Iran's population under 30, the battle for the youth vote could be crucial for the outcome of an election pitting conservative President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad against moderates seeking political and social change. |
